With a return to school comes a return to the all-consuming anxiety experienced by many students. With all of the tests, quizzes, and schoolwork piled on high school students, it is no surprise that they might feel overwhelmed by stress. While stress is a natural response, too much of it can be detrimental to a student’s health and well being. For example, it can lead to physical issues, like heart problems, or emotional issues, like depression and anxiety.

    Whether it is schoolwork, extracurricular activities, or even college applications for the seniors, stress is unavoidable during the school year. To overcome this stress, students at Grand Ledge High School have had to come up with many different methods and coping mechanisms.

    “I talk with a friend if I can,” Andrew Walczak, a junior at GLHS, said. “I try to do something relaxing to take my mind off of it.”

    According to the article “Coping with Stress” from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, talking to friends and family can be a good method for eliminating stress. Staying connected is a vital part of working through issues, and often, trusted adults or experienced friends can offer other solutions that a student might not have thought of before.

    “I get up early in the morning and do yoga,” Sidney Sparks, a senior at GLHS, said. “It helps me relax and forget about some of my stress.”

    Physical activity is also a fantastic way to help alleviate stress, according to an article by Mayo Clinic titled “Exercise and Stress: Get Moving to Manage Stress.” Exercise helps the brain produce what Mayo Clinic calls “feel-good neurotransmitters,” which can help a student feel physically and mentally good. It is also shown to improve a person’s mood, which is perfect for relieving some of the anxiety of school work.

    “Well, I think time management is really important for students,” Anna Montgomery, the AP Literature teacher here, said. “Like determining a time management approach to find the time to do things and compartmentalizing how much time is dedicated to each task.”

    Though this may not get rid of the stress a student has accumulated, it is a sure-fire way to prevent stress in the future, especially if a student has many scholastic or extracurricular activities to deal with. Keeping time and tasks organized with a planner or planning app is a great way students can manage their school-related anxiety.

    Whether it is staying connected with friends, doing physical exercise, or staying organized, managing stress is an essential part of maintaining student health. By keeping anxiety levels low, Grand Ledge students can ensure that this year becomes the healthiest and most productive one yet.